Textures of Faith

The broken texture of sin
hanging from a cross
health and vitality gone
replaced with wounds, blood and pain
a change in physical essence becomes a
bold entrance into the fabric of our lives
as an ointment of healing

with radical adaptation,
I can also change texture
to a form of all-encompassing love

When sorrow breaks into life,
I resemble a velvety soft rose petal
with fragrant aroma
bringing comfort to those who hurt

During times when disobedience dominates,
I am coarse sandpaper
smoothing down rough edges
that threaten to splinter lives
with the pain of unruly behavior

Difficult questions erupt like an overflowing water fountain
and I take on the qualities of a sponge;
absorbing the questions and possible answers
and then squeezing out solutions of peace

In joyful moments,
heart bursting with happiness,
my spirit is a sweet and bubbly champagne,
ready to pop the cork open and share joy

Silent moments on my knees
adapts my texture to the witness of my faith,
in gratitude for the constant love of Jesus
and His example of textural change.

Written in response to Fr. Don Hying's New Heart New Spirit Newsletter from St. Francis de Sales Seminary.

Pondering Pages/The Reed of God

Once again, I join with Lara at Holy Mothering to share my love for books.

I have recently read "The Reed of God" by Caryll Houselander written in 1944. This was a fabulous book and I absolutely loved it! (I also greatly enjoyed "The Way of the Cross" by the same author.) Her writing is poetic and her love and understanding of the Virgin Mary is deeply felt through her inspired words. This was a book that could not be put down once it was begun! The opening paragraphs follow...

"That virginal quality, which, for want of a better word,I call emptiness is the beginning of contemplation.

It is not a formless emptiness, a void without meaning; on the contrary it has a shape, a form given to it by the purpose for which it was intended.

It is emptiness like the hollow in a reed, the narrow riftless emptiness which can only have one destiny: to receive the piper's breath and to utter the song that is in his heart.

It is emptiness like the hollow in the cup, shaped to receive water or wine.

It is an emptiness like that of a bird's nest,built in a warm, round ring to receive the little bird.

The pre-Advent emptiness of our Lady's purposeful virginity was indeed like those three things.

She was a reed through which the Eternal Love was to be piped as a shepherd's song.

She was a flowerlike chalice into which the purest water of humanity was to be poured, mingled with wine, changed to the crimson blood of love and lifted up in sacrifice.

She was the warm nest rounded to the shape of humanity to receive the Divine Little Bird."

The Heart and Soul of Mary

"Two souls with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one."
Friedrich Halm-a prompt by Carry on Tuesday












My soul, lost for so long,
and my heart, barely beating
have found new life in you
my Mother Mary, and I long
to follow your example.

Your beautiful, soulful eyes
never release their gaze
from the face of your Son,
your every thought and deed
focused on Him.

Your complete and tender
love for Him in your most
Immaculate Heart beats
deeply and profoundly by His side,
never leaving Him alone.

Beautiful Mother,
unite my soul to yours
so that it contains your Son alone,
my eyes forever gazing upon
His Holy face.

Beautiful Mother,
unite my heart to yours
so that I too, may become
immaculate in the sight of
your glorious Son, Jesus.

Amen.

Elvis Lives! And he works for the St. Vincent de Paul Society/Praise!

My family and I participated in the annual St. Vincent de Paul Society walk for the poor today. The rain clouds held off and the day was wonderful! It's such a joy to celebrate Mass under a huge tent on the Seminary grounds, and to join in with so many people who care about the plight of the poor and work to help change their lives. New this year, an Elvis Presley impersonator participated in the walk! I overheard Fr. Don, the seminary rector, tell Elvis how great he looked and how much they had in common since they both were dressed in black. Elvis is so generous! Not only did he walk to raise funds for the poor, he also offered his rhinestone studded belt to Fr. Don to snazz him up a bit! Unfortunately, he didn't sing for the walkers. That came later...

My sister Cindy and her husband Gary, invited Paul and I to join them for dinner and a show at their parish this evening. My niece Elizabeth and her boyfriend Ryan were featured performers in the show, and they were fabulous, of course! This program also raised funds for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. And there was Elvis again, in the show, and of course, this time he sang! Isn't he a great guy? Buried these many years but still hanging around to do good for others! Sounds like a lot of the saints!

So, today I praise God for kind and generous people who work to raise money for the poor, and who know how to have a good time as well! And, I thank God for the St. Vincent de Paul Society! (Feast Day September 27th)







Prayer to St. Vincent De Paul

O Glorious Saint Vincent de Paul,
The mention of your name,
Suggests a litany of your virtues:
Humility, zeal, mercy, self-sacrifice.
It also recalls
Your many foundations:
Works of Mercy,
Congregations,
Societies.

The Church gratefully remembers,
Your promotion of the priesthood.
Inspire all Charitable Workers,
Especially those who minister,
To both the spiritually
And the materially poor.

O Lord, give us the grace,
That You bestowed upon,
Your servant St. Vincent de Paul,
To relinquish the temptation,
Of material things,
In our holy effort,
To minister to the poor.

Amen.

Join Jennifer at My Chocolate Heart and add your own praises to the Lord!

Angel of Prayer

God has overcome me.

When my soul becomes so full
of the wonder of His presence
that I can no longer contain Him,
He overflows in the form of tears
spilling from my soul-windows during Holy Mass.
I bend to my knees in humble submission
to His glory.

I can feel His angels surround me,
and my guardian angel joins me in prayer.
She gently reaches into my heart
and takes my prayer into her hands.
She tenderly carries it to God,
and breathes my prayer into His heart.

Once the tears and the prayer
have been released from my heart and soul
to their proper Home, the heart of God,
peaceful exhaustion takes their place.

I simply rest in the Lord, my peace.

Dancing Shoes

If I were to wear my dancing shoes,
would you dance with me?







Will your footsteps lead me
in the way I should go?

Will you hold my hand firmly
assuring me of your friendship?

Will you look into my eyes
instilling a sense of confidence into my soul?

Will you place your hand gently upon my back
to strengthen me when I’m feeling weak?

Will you let me spin when the tempo quickens
and I’m feeling joyful?

And when the music ends,
will you slowly release me
as I continue the dance in my heart,
while stepping into the dance of eternity?

If I were to wear my dancing shoes,
would you dance with me?

Blest Guest Wednesday at Blest Atheist

Elizabeth Mahlou, the fabulous author of Blest Atheist has asked me to write a guest post for her blog this week while she is traveling abroad for her career. I am so honored! You can read my post-"Stand Back and Let God Work" here, about my son Jack and his pull towards the priesthood. Thank you Elizabeth for the wonderful opportunity!